• How would you compare Singaporean women’s sense of ambition with that of foreign women?

RAYMOND My wife, who is Korean, does not want to climb the career ladder. She just wants a job with a decent income that allows her to go home on time to spend time with the family. This is a contrast to Singaporean women, who are more aggressive at work.
MANOJ My female colleagues from the West are more laidback. They don’t stay back at work as much as my local colleagues. They leave on the dot and rush to the gym or another party at Clarke Quay. Local women are more driven. But my female colleagues from China are the most hardworking and aggressive, because they come from a country where they have had to fight for limited resources. 
CHUEN Do Singaporean women have ambition? Yes. Are they able to fulfill their ambitions? Usually not. Local women’s ambitions are often held back by their duty to their parents, husband and children. There was a high-profile position available overseas in my company and it was first offered to a Singaporean woman. But she turned it down because of family commitments. The position was later offered to an American woman. Her husband quit his job and they uprooted the whole family just so that she got to fulfill her ambitions. Few Singaporean women enjoy the same kind of support from their families.

• How do your local female bosses compare with their foreign counterparts?

JONATHAN Western female bosses can be more harsh and impatient. But they’re not so uptight about their position. I once had a British lady boss who left me alone to do my work – the only thing I had to do was to run my decisions by her, purely for formality. The local ones tend to micromanage.
MANOJ Personally, it’s easier for me to communicate with foreign bosses. They tend to treat you more like a buddy than a subordinate. You get to call them by their first names. They are also more objective and focused on the task at hand and overall returns. Local women have an “I’m-your-commander-in-chief” attitude. I guess it’s just the way hierarchy is prevalent in the Singapore system.
CHUEN Foreign female bosses are more comfortable with open discussions, honest feedback and different points of view. I think it’s just a matter of culture – I’ve observed that expressing a different point of view can be perceived as confrontation to Asian bosses in general, whether male or female. And they don’t react well to that.

• How do your Singaporean female bosses compare to the male ones?

MANOJ They’re aggressive but they also have a motherly side. I’ve enjoyed working with female bosses. They understand you and they fight for you.
DANIEL Female bosses are more detailed; nothing escapes their attention. They’re usually quite diplomatic and handle people better.
RAYMOND I’d rather work with a man. Female bosses tend to play favourites.

• How do your local female colleagues behave in social situations compared to their foreign counterparts?

MANOJ The locals never take off their mask unless they’re really good friends with you. Local female bosses also have an “I’m still the boss” attitude, unlike the foreign ones who are more relaxed.
JONATHAN Local women behave the same way as they do in the office. If they hold something against you in the office, it’s carried over to the social setting. I think this is the same for foreign women but they don’t show it as much.
CHUEN Foreign female bosses are more capable of striking a balance between professional and social interactions. While I was working with them, I had chances to interact with them – like after-work drinks and house parties. I had a foreign female vice-president who had a mini fridge filled with beers in her office. Guess where the team always gathered on Friday evenings?

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